Salon Kewpie is returning to the District Six Museum Homecoming Centre on Friday 17th April 2026 to celebrate the birthday of our pioneering trancestor and cultural icon, Kewpie! In collaboration with the District Six Museum and the GALA Queer Archive, we invite you to join us at Salon Kewpie: The Legacy Ball 2026.

Hosted by Cheshire Vineyard, mother of the South African chapter of the International House of Vineyard, this year’s ball will bring together our Salon Kewpie: The Legacy Project 2026 participants with gay, queer, and trans elders; members of the District Six community of remembrance; and iconic members of the local ballroom and drag communities.

Our theme for this year’s Legacy Project is “care”, inspired by the many ways Kewpie cared for her community throughout her life. In that spirit, we invite you to bring gifts to Kewpie’s Birthday Ball to be donated to the Kensington Home for the Aged, where she spent her final years. The Home would be especially grateful for:

– Hand-knit beanies, scarves, etc.
– Bedding for single beds
– Toiletries (roll-on deodorant, Vaseline, soap, adult diapers in M, L, XL, linen savers, baby powder, Ingram’s camphor cream)

DOORS OPEN at 5pm.

Join us for an exhibition of materials from the Kewpie Collection and the Salon Kewpie archive. Drinks will be available to purchase from the Homecoming Centre bar.

BALL STARTS at 7pm.

CATEGORIES:

Appetiser:
– The category is… Golden Gays & Girls. Our gay, queer, and trans elders have paved the way for us all. Our coming together as a community must centre on honouring those who have always walked their own path.
– The category is… Production as a House. Inspired by Kewpie and co’s mastery of the group shot, this category is tableau.
– The category is… Best Dressed. Show us your take on knitwear, weaving together past glamour with present-day innovation.

Entrée:
– The category is… Runway with a Twist. Serve All-American or European Runway, then twist your way through the battles.
– The category is… Lip-sync performance. Inspired by Kewpie’s love of singing, perform a jazz or blues classic.

Dessert:
– The category is… Sex Siren OTA. Inspired by Kewpie’s 1962 strip tease, show us your most sophisticated tease with sensual restraint.
– The category is… Vogue Performance OTA. Vogue the house down boots mama!

TICKETS:
Early Bird tickets close on the 17th of March. Standard tickets close on the 31st of March.